#texas barbeque

[lillianlake]

There's No Resisting the Holy Grail of a Jewish Feast

This week, my Texan twitter friends spun a thread in a chat proclaiming brisket as a “Texas” thing. Texas can take credit for many things, but honest to goodness, brisket cannot be one of them. Let me tell you; I stood my ground as any true brisket lover should. I acquiesced and gave them high marks for barbeque brisket.  Otherwise, brisket prepared for a traditional Jewish feast wins hands down…

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[megatedrogersstuff-blog]

History of Texas BBQ When we think of Texas we immediately think beef. So it's no surprise that current day Texas BBQ centers around beef, but that wasn't always true. Take a look at this brief video about the History of Texas BBQ to discover its fascinating tale.

[burntendstx]

Louie Mueller Barbecue - Taylor, TX: 10/17/2013 NATIONAL EDGE DAY

So I'm not going to make another review on Louie Mueller because I've already reviewed this place twice and it's consistently some of the best BBQ that Central Texas has to offer. This place is legit, both in history and in taste, so here are just a few pics from my most recent visit on October 17th 2013, in celebration of National Edge Day.

Wanna read more of my thoughts and experiences at this famed Central Texas destination? Check out the two links for more:

http://burntendstx.tumblr.com/post/51745183657/day-32-saturday-5-25-2013-taylor-tx-heres

http://burntendstx.tumblr.com/post/44977241806/louie-mueller-barbecue-photo-set-2

[schaeferjb]

Texas has Great BBQ and this is the Best BBQ in Texas!

[burntendstx]

Regency 1st Annual BBQ Battle – Saturday September 7th, 2013

Ah yes, the inevitable foray into a BBQ contest; a logical step in the quest for “pitmastery”. The first weekend of the new month saw me participate in my first BBQ competition, and how perfect was it that my first competition was also the first one hosted by Regency, the kind folks that put the whole thing together? 1st annual event, my first attempt in the competitive world, it couldn’t have been any more appropriate.

I was part of a team representing the good folks at Gentiva, and we entered the contest with beans, chicken, overall theme and brisket, the latter of which I was responsible for. I was tasked with providing two 11 lb. briskets which I trimmed and seasoned Friday afternoon. The event was on Saturday and my entry was due to be turned in 2:30 PM, so after a 3 hour nap from 9:00 PM to 12:00 PM, I had to start prepping my pit at 12:00 PM on Friday night, and threw the meat on at 1:00 AM Saturday morning. My methodology was the same as my earlier Labor Day effort, with a 50/50 mixture of salt and pepper serving as the most basic of seasoning and a hearty amount of fat trimmed from the two packers. I used charcoal as the primary heat source and used some heavily water soaked chunks of oak wood for the smoke source. Once my pit temperature hit around 180 degrees, I threw both slabs of meat on alongside a pan of water closest to the firebox and waited for the heat to climb to a steady 250 degrees. I gotta say, I’m not a big fan of overnight smoking, mostly due to the lack of sleep, but time constraints dictated this direction. Luckily, my brother-in-law stayed the night to help me smoke the briskets, even though he had to be at work at 11:00 AM on Saturday. We decided to man the flame in 4-5 hour shifts, with me taking the first since I had a 3 hour nap and him taking the second shift. Once the temperature was locked at 250 degrees, I sent my brother-in-law to sleep while I maintained the temperature. It was eerily quiet, and I had nothing more than a smartphone to keep me awake and alert. Had it not been for the smartphone, I would have probably passed out in the pitch black. My brother-in-law would wake up intermittently to come check on the flame, and eventually passed out asleep for good; so I scrapped the shift plan and took on the majority of manning the flame myself. I won’t lie, I had some highs in the 275-300 area and lows in the 200-225 area, but for the most part, I managed to keep it at a consistent 250 degrees. After the first 3 hours, I spritzed the meat with apple cider vinegar, and again, 2 hours later at 6:00 AM. Finally at 7:30 AM, the house started waking up, and my brother-in-law took over for me while I squeezed in a 1 hour nap. He had to leave soon after to get ready for work, so I continued keeping my temperature while simultaneously caring after my fever ridden 3 year old. To retain moisture, I did the “Texas Crunch” at around the 8th hour and used foil as I was out of butcher paper. The internal temperature was only around 170 so this method would only help expedite the internal temperature. After around 2 ½ hours at 11:30 AM, I finally took the briskets out and they both had an internal temperature at around 185 – 190 degrees. I was shooting for 200 but it wasn’t quite there. In either case, they both came out looking beautiful, however one was much fattier than the other.

I wrapped both back up in foil and then wrapped them in bath towels, placing both in my drink cooler and surrounding them in even more bath towels. I packed a smaller cooler with root beers, packed my knives, including a new serrated knife just for the occasion into a bag along with some cutting boards and packed everything into my car. I dropped my little one off with my wife at work since she was in no condition to go with me to the cook-off, and then headed down south to the Manchaca/South Park Meadows area to a place called Giddy Ups, showing up just a little after 1:00 PM. I met up with my party and set up shop, but felt a little guilty as the poor team had been here since 9:00 in the morning. Maybe I should have brought my pit onsite, but you live and learn. I had a lot of slicing up ahead of me, and temperatures definitely felt, and probably were in the 100’s outside with just a canopy to keep us shaded. I got to it, slicing away at the flat and working my way up, with my brand new knife easily slicing through the meat like butter. I cut sample sizes for the general audience and normal slices for the judges, and I probably spent a good two hours cutting away at both hunks of meat. After cutting and handing out samples, I must have drank a whole six pack of root beers. The meat turned out a little tough in the flat area but the fat was well rendered all throughout. The fattier brisket that I cut second had too much fat through the whole thing, and I had to cut a lot of it off and toss it out. I didn’t have a whole lot of burnt ends, but the vast majority of people sampling my brisket seemed to have nothing but great things to say about it. Tasting everyone else’s samples, I noticed that a lot of people went the added flavored route, with some on the heavy garlic side and others on the overly sweet and heavily mopped side. A handful of people that tasted my brisket said that they could really taste the meat, including my own teammates. That’s exactly what I was going for, trying to distance myself from masking the meat and just letting it stand out on itself.  2:15 PM came around and the judges started making their rounds collecting plates, so we put ours together decorated with kale leaves and I put in 2 slices of lean, 2 slices of moist and a few burnt ends from what I had. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best, as my team had already turned in their bean and chicken entries hours before.

After a bit of hanging around, goofing around and listening to the cover band playing numbers ranging from country favorites to The Cure and Nirvana, the judges finally called us around 3:30 PM to announce the winners. People’s Choice medals were first followed by the judges’ picks (3rd, 2nd and 1st place) for trophies. My team took one medal and 3 trophies, taking home first place in chicken to much excitement! Unfortunately, I didn’t get a first, second or third place for the brisket category. I was a little let down considering the man hours that I put into the whole thing, and I figured that I would at the very least come out in 3rd place. That wasn’t the case, but it’s pretty foolish to think that someone with this little experience in competition BBQ would come out placing high in my first event. I’m not going to place blame on anything because there isn’t anything to blame; but I will say that maybe I wasn’t ready to tackle on two briskets at once. Maybe that was too much of a challenge for me, but I think the quality came out consistent with both of them. My only regret is cutting both briskets one after the other, instead of saving one brisket, still wrapped and hot for when it came time to turn in my brisket plate. Perhaps had I done that, I may have had a more tender, fresh, moist and hot plate for the judges. Sure, I was a little let down, but overall, I honestly had fun and I’m proud of my team for their wins.

The team I was with was nothing but fantastic (our theme was the Redneck Love Shack if that tells you anything); everyone was nice and welcoming, and a small competition like this was exactly what I needed as an aspiring pitmaster. I think the laid back, loose rulebook environment that I was in fit perfectly with a novice like myself, and I got a really good taste for what to expect in future endeavors. My work continues on, with an aim to better perfect my methodology and approach the brisket category with more focus. Key elements will be playing around more with pork ribs, tackling chicken which I have yet to do and expand my own setup for future competition endeavors (a canopy, table, banner and prospective teammates). I’m excited for what the future has in store in the competition world, but I have a lot more work to do before I get involved in another contest. I definitely learned a lot this Saturday, and the fun outweighed the loss. That night, after running on just a one hour nap all day, I passed out around 9:00 PM and slept for a little over 10 hours.

[burntendstx]

Labor Day – Monday September 2nd, 2013

Common sense says that holidays are always the best time for a barbecue. Everyone is looking for some way to celebrate, and this year, it just so happened to fall on my little brothers’ birthday, giving even more of a reason to throw a packer brisket on the smoker. Hosting a BBQ with family and friends, celebrating both Labor Day and a birthday on the same day and honing my skills? Who could say no?

My method this time around was pretty consistent with my past brisket endeavors. After I trimmed the brisket, I used only salt and pepper for the seasoning, and had it refrigerate overnight. I used oak wood, smoking the meat for only the first 2 hours. My temperature was a steady 250 degrees, and I put the meat in at around 6:30 AM, finishing up at around 4:30 PM. I used a water pan inside the smoker to keep it moist, and used apple cider vinegar to spritz the meat twice during the whole cook. Around 2:00 PM, I wrapped the brisket in butcher paper but I didn’t wrap the meat in a towel post-cook and store it in a cooler since I had plenty of hungry people over by the time it was out of the smoker. At the tenth hour, I poked the meat with my thermometer and it was at a nice 200 degrees internal meat temperature, so I let it set out for a bit for the juices to redistribute and kept the Elgin, TX sausage links going. I used all beef Meyer’s sausage, and diced them up into little cuts instead of serving them by the link.

Sides and trimmings were fairly simple, with homemade mac & cheese, homemade beans and store bought potato salad. I sliced up some onions, avocados, and cheddar cheese along with white bread, saltines and pickles, all served on butcher paper. Both A&W and IBC root beers were served, as was a bottle of Franklin Barbecue Texas Style sauce for those that felt my brisket needed it. All in all, it was a decent brisket, and I think I prefer smoking early in the morning versus overnight since I didn’t have to battle being constantly sleepy. Everyone seemed to like the brisket, and I think that the methods I used in this cook will probably be my weapon of choice for future instances.

Finally, birthday cake was served and bellies were overstuffed. The use of butcher paper as plates (in the classic Central Texas Market Style tradition) alongside plastic cutlery, made cleanup a breeze. The day was a success and I knocked out plenty of items in one clean sweep. First, Labor Day was hosted and celebrated. Second, my little brother’s 12th birthday was celebrated. Third, this event served as a great way to hone my skills for a BBQ competition that I had entered, and that was only 5 days away. More on that later though; for this particular event, everything came out solid.

[burntendstx]

The Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Joints –

  So every 5 years or so, Texas Monthly releases a list of the top 50 barbecue restaurants in Texas. The 2008 list had Snow’s at #1, followed by Kreuz Market and Smitty’s Market (both in Lockhart), City Market in Luling and Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor. The 2013 list however, (aside from having a Top 4 instead of a Top 5) raised some eyebrows and ruffled a few feathers since not only did Smitty’s Market not make the top tier cut, but failed to make the list at all. Snow’s BBQ was knocked down from its #1 slot (but still came out with a respectable place in the top 4) losing out to the beloved Franklin Barbecue here in Austin. Louie Mueller Barbecue still remained in the top tier, and Kreuz Market lost its place in the top but still made the list. But go pick up the magazine yourself and treat yourself to some spectacular BBQ coverage, and then do yourself a favor and go try one (or all) of those that made the cut! Below is the 2013 list, with an asterisk next to those that have been on the previous 2008 list. Also, I hate to brag, but a good chunk of those on the list are located in Central Texas; and the most places in one city, five, being in Austin alone. Enjoy!

  The Top 4:

  #1 - Franklin Barbecue (Austin)

 Snow’s BBQ* (Lexington)

 Louie Mueller Barbecue* (Taylor)

Pecan Lodge (Dallas)

  …..and the rest:

  ALAMO               

                The Original Willie’s Bar-B-Que

   AMARILLO         

                Tyler’s Barbecue

   AUSTIN               

                John Mueller Meat Co.

                La Barbecue

                Lamberts Downtown Barbecue*

                Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew

   BELTON               

                Miller’s Smokehouse

   BRYAN 

                Fargo’s Pit BBQ

   CYPRESS              

                Brooks’ Place

   DALLAS

                Lockhart Smokehouse

   EAGLE LAKE       

                Austin’s BBQ and Catering*

   FANNIN              

                McMillan’s Bar-B-Q*

   FORT WORTH    

                Cousin’s Bar-B-Q*

                Longoria’s BBQ

   FREDERICKSBURG           

                Cranky Frank’s Barbecue Company

   GALVESTON      

                Leon’s World’s Finest In & Out Bar-B-Que

   GARLAND            

                Meshack’s Bar-B-Que

   GIDDINGS          

                City Meat Market*

   GRAPEVINE       

                Bartley’s Bar-B-Q

   HENDERSON     

                Bob’s Bar-B-Que

   HOUSTON          

                Gatlin’s BBQ & Catering

                Virgie’s Bar-B-Que*

   JASPER

                Billy’s Old Fashion BBQ

   JEFFERSON        

                Joseph’s Riverport Barbecue

   KERRVILLE          

                Buzzie’s Bar-B-Q*

   LIVINGSTON     

                Hitch-N-Post BBQ

   LLANO 

                Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que*

   LOCKHART         

                Black’s Barbecue

                Kreuz Market*

   LULING

                City Market*

   MARLIN              

                Whup’s Boomerang Bar-B-Que*

   MCKINNEY         

                Hutchins BBQ

   MEXIA 

                Kirby’s Barbecue

   PEADENVILLE    

                Hashknife on the Chisolm*

   PEARSALL           

                Cowpoke’s*

   PECOS  

                Pody’s BBQ

   ROCKPORT         

                Hatfield’s BBQ & Blackjacks Beer Garden

   SAN ANTONIO 

                The Granary ‘Cue and Brew

                Two Bros. BBQ Market

   SAN MARCOS   

                Hays Co. Bar-B-Que and Catering

   SMITHVILLE       

                Zimmerhanzel’s BBQ

   SPICEWOOD      

                Opie’s Barbecue*

   SPRING               

                Corkscrew BBQ

   SWEETWATER   

                Big Boy’s Bar-B-Que

   TYLER   

                Stanley’s Famous Pit Barbecue*

   VICTORIA           

                Mumphord’s Place BBQ

Honorable Mentions –

Adkins -

Texas Pride

Austin -

Blue Ox BBQ and Pancake Cabin

Austin -

Micklethwait Craft Meats

Beaumont -

Patillo’s

Calallen -

Cotten’s BBQ Catering

Chappell Hill -

Chappell Hill Bakery & Deli

Clarksville -

Coleman’s

Corsicana -

Clyde’s

Dallas -

Odom’s

Dallas -

Off the Bone

Dallas -

Peggy Sue BBQ

Dallas -

Smoke

Elgin -

Southside Market & Barbecue

Fort Worth -

Off the Bone

Godley -

Del Norte Taco

Greenville -

Ernie’s

Groesbeck -

Swick’s

Hemphill -

Hemphill BBQ

Houston -

Goode Co.

Houston -

Ray’s BBQ Shack

Huntsville -

New Zion Missionary Baptist Church

Iowa Park -

Rafter J BBQ

Kilgore -

Country Tavern

Killeen -

Petty’s

La Grange -

Prause Meat Market

Laredo -

Briskets and Beer Smokehouse

Lockhart -

Smitty’s Market

Marble Falls -

Peete Mesquite

Midland -

Sam’s Bar-B-Q

Mount Pleasant -

Outlaw’s BBQ

Odessa -

Rose Bar-B-Q

San Benito -

Longhorn Cattle Company

Taylor -

Taylor Café

Texarkana -

Big Jake’s Bar-B-Que

[burntendstx]

Day 31: PART 2 - Wednesday 5/1/2013: South First St./Austin, TX

So I’m not going to waste a whole lot of time with this next entry because, well, because I just went to this very same place not that long ago. About two weeks ago if you really must know, and day Day 31 on my blog if you’re really curios. But the destination in question was La Barbecue on South 1st Street, and if you read my last entry on La Barbecue, you would know that I had to come back for some pork ribs and more of the amazing brisket. I came here with two friends of mine, and after having it last time and being quite impressed, I couldn’t wait for them to see just how amazing this place really is. Now I’m certainly not the only one who has taken note of La Barbecue; Texas Monthly took enough notice to place them on the new 2013 list of best BBQ joints in Texas. That’s saying a lot, but this place really has what it takes to elevate them to that sort of status. Last time I was here, the Yeti frozen custard stand wasn’t here, but this time around, it was. I kept my order at La Barbecue “light” with no sides so that I could have a sweet treat from the Yeti custard stand. We had made it a point to get here before noon so as to avoid a potential lunch rush, and we did, even managing to find parking in the trailer grounds. The line wasn’t long at all and I put in an order of a sliced brisket sandwich plus two pork ribs. A Big Red in a class bottle to wash it all down and I was set. The guy taking my order asked if I wanted any sides, and when I answered him no, he jokingly said that nobody comes here for sides, they just want the meat. There is some truth to that though, because this place lacks a variety of sides, but the quality of the meat really outweighs the lack of side selection. I paid for my meal  and discussed with a staff member about making the Texas Monthly list and he said that was a pretty big deal for them since they’ve only been open since November of 2012.

The three of us found an empty picnic table, and I chiseled away at the wall of meat that was my sliced brisket sandwich. When they built this sandwich, they just added layer and layer of meat to the point of it not really being a sandwich anymore, but just a bunch of brisket with two little buns tacked onto both ends of the stack. Somewhere in the sandwich were pickles and onions, I know because I saw them in their during the building process but they were lost in the sea of brisket. The last time I had the brisket, I was blown away. This time was no different. I got the meat sliced from the lean part, and it was still every bit as juicy and succulent, moist and tender as any other portion of the cut. Juices ran down my hands as I took bite after bite of this thing, and as juicy as it was, it didn’t warrant any of the sauce. I still entertained the sweet sauce as I did last time though and squirted just a little bit onto a bite of my sandwich, but for the most part, I ate the thing with little to no sauce since it was so far removed from being dry.

I tacked my pork ribs next, something I hadn’t gotten last time and they were every bit as tender as the brisket. The method to these pork ribs was sweet, and you knew instantly that it was sweet based on the exterior alone. A dark red, almost bloodlike coating dominated the two ribs with some thick pepper and char helping to coat it well. The ribs were all meat, tender and flavorful with little to no fat to get in the way. No teeth pulling was necessary either, the meat came off clean and easy, and left only behind the little bone. If sweet is your thing, you can’t go wrong with these little guys. I was done before you knew it, and the taste was so overwhelming that I couldn’t even taste my Big Red in a bottle the whole time.

With no sides to kill time with, we left our picnic table for some custard at the Yeti trailer as the line at La Barbecue was now getting longer and longer. I’ll be honest, I don’t normally eat this heavy during lunch, so I ordered the kids’ junior scoop of chocolate custard and soothed my tummy from the excess of heavy smoked meats. We walked over by the pit area of La Barbecue and I asked a staff member if I could cross the orange cones to snoop around at the pits. He had no problem with it, so my buddies and I looked around and inside the trailers that housed the massive pits. The guy there was feeding a pit with some wood, and it was pretty cool of him to let us poke around for a bit. Here’s the thing, you can’t go to this place and expect to eat light. The food is just too good that it’s criminal to not take in more than one meat. As was my experience last time, my attitude on the brisket has not changed one bit. This is still to me the closest to Aaron Franklin’s brisket you will get, and the pork ribs have only managed to solidify my belief that for BBQ in Austin, this is one place that is for certain worth the visit.

Now for the score ranked from 1 (Poor) – 5 (Best)

Location/Facility – 3

Service/Staff – 3.5

Food – 4.5

Drink – 3